Many people in the UK are entitled to a free boiler or at least a significant contribution towards the cost. Read on to find out if you could be entitled to a free replacement boiler under the government’s ECO scheme.
You can check if you could be eligible for a free boiler in just a few minutes and a few clicks by completing our online form.
Free Boilers Explained
It’s sometimes referred to as a free boiler scheme, but the official title is the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme. It’s led by the government and was brought in to help low-income and vulnerable households to replace inefficient or broken heating systems and lower their energy bills.
The scheme will run until March 2026. Under the scheme, energy suppliers like EDF Energy, E.ON Energy and British Gas have to put aside money to help people replace their boilers or improve their home insulation. If you qualify, the ECO boiler scheme can help you get a much cheaper or even a free boiler replacement.
The energy companies currently taking part in the scheme are:
- British Gas
- Bulb Energy
- E (Gas and Electricity)
- E.ON Energy
- Ecotricity
- EDF Energy
- ESB Energy
- Foxglove Energy
- Scottish Power
- Shell Energy
- Octopus Energy
- Ovo Energy
- Utility Warehouse
- Utilita
Brand new boilers are more energy efficient, which means they use less energy to heat your home and so should give you cheaper energy bills. In some homes, the savings could be as much as £540 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust. And, even better, the money towards your new boiler is a grant, not a loan, so you won’t need to pay a penny back.
Who Can Get a Free Boiler?
If your boiler is broken or very inefficient (non-condensing), you may be entitled to a replacement boiler grant. The grant may be enough to provide you with a free or it may only cover some of the cost, but the savings are usually significant
Who qualifies for a boiler grant? If you’d like to apply for a free or cheaper boiler under the ECO scheme, you need to be receiving at least one of the following benefits:
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)Credit Element
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Working Tax Credits (WTC)
- Child Tax Credits (CTC)
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Housing Benefit
- Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
- Child Benefit *
*If you claim Child Benefit, we will need to ask some additional questions to check if you qualify, as there are income caps to consider.
IMPORTANT: Boiler grants aren’t currently available for private tenants or landlords and we can’t currently accept applications for oil or LPG boilers or electric storage heaters. As of January 2019, there is limited funding for gas boiler grants and we are accepting new applications.
How to Apply for a Free Boiler
You can find out for sure if you are eligible for a boiler grant by completing the Boiler Grants form today. It only takes a few minutes and could save you ££££s!
Once you’ve completed the online form we’ll get in touch to make sure we’ve got all the correct information. First of all complete the form above to see if you and your boiler are eligible. If you’re successful, we’ll then talk you through the grant process which begins with a free survey by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.
We only use Gas Safe Registered heating engineers who pass our strict approval process, i.e. we actively manage our network of engineers to check they’ve got all the industry required qualifications and continue to receive positive feedback from customers. You can rest assured that an engineer found through Boiler Grants will deliver the highest standard of customer service, first time, every time.
The engineer will arrange a convenient time for your survey so they can check your home’s energy efficiency and current heating system. When your ECO scheme application has been formally approved and all the details are sorted, a Gas Safe qualified and trustworthy installer will fit your brand new boiler.
All that’s left to do then is sit back and enjoy a more comfortable home and cheaper energy bills.
Not Eligible for a Free Boiler? Don’t Panic!
For those who aren’t in receipt of benefits but are on a low income, finding the money for a new boiler can be a challenge. However, there are other ways to save on the cost; many heating companies offer finance arrangements which can help you to spread the cost of your boiler into affordable monthly payments. You can also save a significant amount of money by comparing free, no-obligation quotes from multiple boiler installers in your area.
If you’re one of the millions of households in the UK struggling to pay your heating bills, you may be living in fuel poverty. Take a look at Fuel Poverty: How to Reduce Your Heating Bills for advice and guidance and find out if you could be entitled to support from the government.
